By Justin James, PWTorch contributor

[Q1] Apparently Drew McIntyre responded to Andrade “Cien” Almas’ challenge on Twitter, and William Regal booked the match for Takeover: Houston on Twitter. The announcers remind us that tonight, The Authors of Pain get their rematch against Sanity for the Tag Team Championship.

Taynara Conti comes out to face Nikki Cross. The NXT Women’s Championship is on a pedestal on the ramp, and Cross holds her hands out to it but refuses to touch it.

(1) NIKKI CROSS vs. TAYNARA CONTI

Crossbody into a mount from Cross, Conti on top, then Cross. Conti ducks to the outside where Cross abuses her. Conti hangs onto the ropes but Cross yanks her off. Kick to the face gives Conti some room to take over. Conti covers for one. Cross with her strong offense sets up her swinging neckbreaker finisher.

WINNER: Nikki Cross at 2:33. It isn’t clear what Conti’s relationship to Undisputed Era is, but once again, an associate of theirs is defined as a loser. There is so much emphasis qand push on Cross right now that it seems almost like a setup for a swerve.

“Last week” with Mercedes Martinez. She is upset she lost the battle royale. She says Ember Moon won’t win the Fatal Fourway because she always choked. Martinez really stumbled her way through this promo.

(2) JOHNNY GARGANO vs. FABIAN AICHNER

Some really good mat work to start. Aichner is proving to be the complete package. Two count. Gargano speeds it up, dropkicks only get one. Aichner catches a crossbody and transitions to a powerslam.

[Q2] Gargano delivers a chop then sends Aichner to the outside. Gargano comes over the top with a plancha, Aichner catches him and drops him onto the barricade. [c]

Aicher has Gargano in a bearhug out of the break. Gargano gets some momentum but it too injured to follow up offense with covers. Aichner hits the ropes and heads towards Gargano on the apron but takes a slingshot spear for two. Slingshot DDT gets two for Gargano. Aichner catches another crossbody, backbreaker into a powerslam into a cover for a nearfall. Theyntrade strikes, Aichner withn a popup backbreaker, then moonsaults into knees. Crazy sequence results in Aichner picking up a win from nowhere with an abdominal stretch into a cover.

WINNER: Fabian Aichner at 8:08. Really solid match here. No clue how Aichner is a heel with this moveset and intensity. He wrestles like a monster heel who can do technical mat work and a cruiserweight style. If they work to give him a personality, Aichner can become a big star.

Backstage, McIntyre signs the contract in Regal’s office.

Aleister Black vignette. Voiceover from Black talks to Velveteen Dream, saying that Dream now has Black’s attention. The match is booked for Takeover: Houston.

“Earlier today” with the Street Profits, checking out a Masseratti in the parking lot. Apparently it belongs to Riddick Moss and Tino Sabbatelli (what, they share a car?). Moss and Sabbatelli make fun of their style and tell them to leave the car alone.

[ J.J.’s Reax: Why do Sabbatelli and Moss share a car? Since when dom the lowest people on the NXT roster have the money to afford a Masseratti? ]

McIntyre starts to makes his entrance. He gets jumped by Almas with help from Zelina Vega. They stand over him and sign the contract. They use Vega’s gum to stick the contract to McIntyre.

[Q3] “Earlier today” with Peyton Royce and Billie Kay. Royce is angry that Kay won’t be in the Fatal Fourway, and she has to be in the match with that “stupid little pirate”. Kairi Sane shows up, and menaces them. Kay and Royce clutch each other in fear. Next week will be Sane facing Kay.

Interesting to see Eric Young and Alexander Wolfe come out without Killian Dain. Nigel McGuiness makes it official that Sanity is getting the Freebird rule. So why use Wolfe in the match, when he gets pinned more than any other member of Sanity, and I don’t think Dain has ever been pinned?

Rezar immediately backs Young into the corner, then the other one. Young slips out and delivers a chop. Rezar gets Young into the AOP corner and Akam is in. young gets Akam to Wolfe and they double team Akam. Wolfe clears Rezar off the apron, but Akam uses the distraction to get the upper hand. Rezar delivers strikes into a two count. McGuinness points out that Allering isn’t visible ringside. [c]

Wolfe is cornered out of the break. Rezar has Wolfe nearly out in a guillotine. Wolfe gets some air and comes back to life but continues to get battered. Double team for two. Akam actually says something but no idea what he says. Big boot from Wolfe puts Rezar down but Wolfe falls down too. Double tag and Young is fired up against Akam. Jumping neckbreaker from Young, who heads to the top. Wolfe mwith a German suplex to Rezar, elbow drop from Young to Akam for a nearfall. Akam blocks a whip, blind tag from Wolfe, toprope clothesline. Young tagged, suplex into a neckbreak but Rezar breaks up the cover. Rezar wrecks Wolfe. the action breaks down. Super Collider from AOP, the Last Chapter, Undisputed Era break up the cover for a disqulification.

WINNERSS: The Authors of Pain by disqualification at 8:29. Fine match until the dirty ending.

Killian Dain rushes out but UE has the numbers advantage. Roderick Strong comes down the ramp. He tells Undisputed Era to hang on. He takes the UE armband out of his pocket and puts it on. But it’s a trick, Strong attacks Adam Cole, not Eric Young. AOP comes back to life, save Strong and they clear the ring. Strong takes the armband off and throws it at Cole.

[Q4] Regal comes out in pure anger. He books Sanity vs. Undisputed Era, vs. AOP and Strong. He also makes it a wargames match. They officially seem to rename the Takeover to Takeover: Wargames. Undisputed Era looks angry.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Good episode to get us closer to Takeover. Once again, Undisputed Era is booked to look cowardly and weak, with Taynara Conti being easily defeated. I just really dislike the crowd’s reaction to UE as well; they cheer UE, cheer when Strong looks to be joining them, and then boo when Strong turned on UE. this is totally backwards. the problem is that Adam Cole is coming in with a very established fanbase who see him as a “cool heel” even though his NXT persona is “chicken heel” and they would rather cheer him than treat him like a heel. It isn’t doing him or his opponents any favors.